Remember When: What a difference 50 years made

Apr. 22, 2013

The horses in this early photo of Engine House No. 1 did not know that they were going to be 'retired' as soon as the firemen were trained to drive the two new fire trucks purchased in 1916. / Photo provided by the Fairfield County District Li

Written by

Joyce Harvey

Eagle-Gazette Correspondent

What a difference 50 years made in the history of Lancaster’s fire engines.

The Daily Eagle (Dec. 20, 1866) reported that Lancaster’s fire chief, William Vorys, had just returned from Harrisburg, Penn., where he had bought a “magnificent” although used fire engine. The engine had been bought a few years earlier by a Harrisburg fire department for $2,400. When they bought a new steam fire engine, they sold this one to Lancaster for $1,200 delivered.

Chief Vorys described it as “a slide-break engine, of the celebrated Button manufacturer, capable of being manned by 24 to 60 men, and of throwing from one to five effective streams of water at the same time.”

Deficiencies were discovered a few days later. The Daily Eagle reported on Dec. 27 that the “new” fire engine had been taken out for a brief trial. “For want of proper hose and not being in perfect order, the test was imperfect and not fully satisfactory.” However, it was expected that the deficiencies would soon be remedied.

Fifty years later, Lancaster received five bids for two new, motor-driven fire trucks.

The Daily Eagle on March 31, 1916, reported that an automobile driver in his car followed the horse-pulled fire engine along East Wheeling Street and that the horses ran less than 18 miles an hour. The article concluded: “The new automobile fire trucks recently approved by the council will be welcome additions to the fire service.”

The Daily Gazette on May 27, 1916, reported a bid from the Seagrave Co. of Columbus for $13,143 had been accepted. Both trucks were to have extra ladders, chemicals and a hose, and one was to have a motor-driven force pump. The extra ladder equipment was to enable the firefighters to reach the top of any downtown Lancaster building.

The two new fire trucks were tested Sept. 16 that year, and it was reported that the lighter of the two drover 44 miles per hour on East Sixth Avenue and went up the East Chestnut hill at “better than 25 miles an hour on high speed.” At 25 miles per hour, the fire engines would “get to any point within the city limits within three minutes besides the saving in time from not having to hitch up the horses.”

A Seagrave expert was staying in town “to see that the local boys get a good start in the handling of the machines.” They also had to learn to drive. Ed Walt was the only man at the fire station who had “automobile experience.” The other men would need to be instructed individually. Chief Landerfelt planned to keep one team of horses for emergencies until all men were trained on both engines.

The public was cautioned about the fire engines’ warning signals. One was an electric fire horn with a “shrill screech,” and the other a “regulation fire bell.”

“When you hear either of these signals it is up to you to get out of the way as one of the machines weighs 13,000 pounds and the other 10,000. Should they run over anything living the life would end at that time.”